PPPA 6017—F2016 
               •    Syllabus 
                      
               •    Lectures 
                      
               •    Handouts 
                      
               •    Resources 
                    Introductory Microeconomics for Public Policy 
                    Course Logistics 
                     •    Section 10: Tuesdays, 3:30-5:20, Tompkins 303 
                     •    Section 11: Tuesdays, 6:10-8:00, Rome 206 
                    Course Description and Objectives 
                    This course presents introductory and intermediate microeconomics, with a focus on policy-
                    relevant topics and examples.  
                     
                    As a result of completing this course you should be able to 
                     •    Understand micro economic theory at an intermediate level 
                     •    Conduct graphical and algebraic quantitative analyses 
                     •    Apply supply and demand logic to policy problems 
                     •    Apply theories of public goods and tax incidence to policy problems 
                     •    Critically evaluate economic arguments in media and policy sources 
                    Contact and Office Hours 
                    Professor: Leah Brooks 
                    Media and Public Affairs Building, Room 601F 
                    Office Hours: Wednesdays 10 AM to 12: 15 PM.  
                    Use the scheduler to book these times. I am not available September 14 and September 28.  
                    lfbrooks at gwu.edu 
                    202-994-4703  
                     
                     
                    Contact policy: I will do my best to answer emails within 24 hours during weekdays, or within 24 
                    hours on the soonest weekday if you email on the weekend. If you do not hear from me within this 
                    time frame, you should assume that your email has been lost and you should re-send. 
                          If you have missed a class, your first line of defense to ask what you have missed is another 
                    student. 
                    If you cannot make it to office hours in person, I am happy to talk on the phone or via google 
                hangout. If you want to reach me by phone, please just call at the time you have scheduled. If you'd 
                prefer to use google hangout, please let me know in advance and I will be online. 
                 
                Graduate Assistant: David Meni  
                 
                thedavid at gwu.edu  
                609-353-6364. Call or text only on weekdays between 10 am and 5 pm. Email at other times. 
                Office Hours: Tuesdays 1 to 3 PM, MPA 622.  
                Prerequisites 
                None. If you have already taken microeconomics elsewhere, I suggest that you skip this class and 
                enroll directly in 6014, Economics in Policy Analysis. If you have never taken economics and are 
                a MPP student, this course is required. If you are unsure whether this course is for you, please 
                email me. 
                 
                 
                This course requires a basic knowledge of linear algebra. Specifically, you need to know how to 
                graph linear equations of the form y = mx + b, and how to solve two linear equations for two 
                unknowns (this means find y and x in terms of a, b, c, and d, given y = ax +c and y = d - bx). If 
                you have not mastered these skills before the beginning of class, it will substantially hinder your 
                ability to understand the economics. I want to be sure that you spend the class thinking about how 
                math helps you tell an economic story, and not trying to understand how to manipulate algebra. 
                 
                 
                If you are concerned about your algebra abilities, or if you would like a refresher, you have 
                multiple options. Please see the Math Review information under the Resources tab.  
                Readings 
                Required textbook: Goolsbee, Levitt and Syverson, Microeconomics.  
                Required reading packet: Selected chapters from Gruber, Public Finance and Public 
                Policy, Second Edition (Chapter 7, pages 184-189; Chapter 12, pages 321-351; Chapter 19, pages 
                557-586) and from Rosen and Gayer, Public Finance, Tenth Edition (Chapter 4, pages 54-70). 
                 
                 
                The textbook and reading packet are available at the campus bookstore. While you are welcome 
                to find alternative sources for purchase, you are required to cover the reading material assigned. 
                Course Overview 
                 C#      Date           Topic                             Due 
                 1      August 30       Intro, Supply and Demand          
                 2      September 6     Supply and Demand and Policy  Problem Set 1 
                        September 
                3       13             Elasticity, Paper Assignment      Problem Set 2 
                        September 
                4       20             Consumer Behavior                 Problem Set 3 
                        September 
                5       27             Individual and Market Demand  Problem Set 4 
                6       October 4      Producer Behavior                 Problem Set 5 
                7       October 11     Midterm                           Problem Set 6 
                8       October 18     Costs                             Elasticity memo draft to classmates 
                        October 25     Fall Break                         
                                       Supply in a Competitive 
                9       November 1     Market                            Problem Set 7 
                10      November 8     Market Power and Monopoly         Problem Set 8 
                                                                         Problem Set 9, Elasticity Memo 
                11      November 15  Externalities and Public Goods  due 
                12      November 22  Tax Incidence                       Problem Set 10 
                13      November 29  Social Insurance                    Problem Set 11 
                14      December 6     Exam 2                             
               Evaluation 
                1.  Problem Sets (15%) 
                    o   Problem sets are designed to practice the skills we learn in class and prepare you for the 
                        exams 
                    o   Turn them in in class at the beginning of class that they are due, or to my mailbox 
                        before class 
                    o   There are 11 problem sets due during the semester. Eight will count toward your grade; 
                        you can choose to either skip three problem sets, or drop the lowest three grades. 
                    o   I do not accept late assignments 
                    o   We will grade completed problem sets on a check-plus (A), check (A-), and check-
                        minus (B+) system 
                    o   You are welcome and encouraged to work with others, but you must each turn in your 
                        own work, in your own words 
                2.  Elasticity and Policy Memo (15%) 
                    o   Paper is due at the eleventh class, at the beginning of class 
                    o   Extensions will be given only the case of illness 
                    o   Goal is to apply tools of elasticity to a policy of your interest 
                      o    Any essays submitted late will decline by ten points for each twelve hours the essay is 
                           late, e.g. if the essay is due on Friday and is received Monday, if it would have received 
                           70%, it now receives 30% 
                      o    The paper should be no more than five pages. 
                      o    I will hand out detailed instructions for this paper during our third class. 
                      o    I encourage you to meet with me to discuss your project. Do not wait to schedule until 
                           the week before as I am likely to be fully booked. 
                      o    By class 8, you must turn in a draft for review by classmates. 
                              This assignment is worth 10% of the overall memo grade, or 1.5% of your final 
                               grade 
                              Turn in the paper to a google folder (instructions to follow) 
                              Respond with comments by midnight Tuesday October 25. 
                              This assignment is graded by whether or not you have posted a draft, and the 
                               quality of your comments on others' work (check, check +, check -, as on the 
                               problem sets) 
                              If you do not post a draft that is minimally sufficient (as I define on the handout), 
                               you cannot receive credit for this assignment 
                      o    For each 12 hours that the paper or comments are late, your grade declines by one letter. 
                  3.  Midterm Exam (20%) 
                      o    This is a closed book exam covering all material in the course through this point. 
                      o    You are free to use a calculator for the exam, but you are not allowed to use the 
                           programming function if your calculator has one. 
                      o    Do not plan to use your mobile phone as a calculator 
                  4.  Exam 2 (30%) 
                      o    This is a closed book exam covering all material in the course through this point, but 
                           with an emphasis on the latter half of the class. 
                      o    You are free to use a calculator for the exam, but you are not allowed to use the 
                           programming function if your calculator has one. 
                      o    Do not plan to use your mobile phone as a calculator 
                  5.  Class Participation (10%) 
                      o    I expect that you will come to class having read the case study and ripped from the 
                           headlines material and prepared to engage with me and other students in discussing the 
                           material we are covering 
                  6.  Ripped from the Headlines (10%) 
                      o    One to three students (depending on course size) chooses an article related to the topic 
                           of the course just covered 
                      o    Article-choosing student must email me and the presenter the link to the article by 
                           Thursday following class at noon (for the class the following Tuesday). I will ok the 
                           article; do not proceed without this ok. 
                      o    One to three (depending on course size) students prepare short presentations (3 mins or 
                           less) on how the article supports or rejects hypotheses we've learned in class 
                      o    I will provide a detailed handout for this assignment the first class 
                 Trachtenberg School Course Policies 
                  •   The Syllabus  
                      This syllabus is your guide to the course. If any questions arise, please check the syllabus